France’s Christmas Miracle: Spectacular Reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris After Fire

Restored to its former glory and beyond, Notre Dame de Paris has risen from the ashes of a 2019 fire that many feared meant the end of an era for one of the most joyous historic cathedrals in Europe. The December 7, 2024 reopening ceremony and resumption of Masses felt like a Christmas gift to the world, not just for the church-going community, but also for those of us who have fallen in love with travel to Paris and France. 

The five-year restoration project was massive in both care and scale. Coming in at over $800 million, with work still to be done, it tapped thousands of masters of ancient craftsmanship and even the ancient forests of France. Both were needed for the materials and the skills to restore the landmark of groundbreaking, mediaeval gothic light and effervescence in the heart of the French capital.

Notre Dame de Paris hasn’t just undergone a restoration. The huge fire provided the opportunity and impetus for a complete transformation, from a revealing cleaning to all-new touches that put a 21st-century mark on the 12th-century marvel. 

© Etienne Castelein

Millennial Symbol of Paris and France

Notre Dame de Paris is no ordinary European historic cathedral. For over a thousand years, it has been central to the history of Paris and France, the site of momentous occasions and ordinary lives of Parisians, as well as a marvel of innovating architecture, design and art, and the basis for cultural references. The Hunchback of Notre Dame novel immortalized the cathedral as a character in the life of Paris, and has been re-imagined even by modern Disney animation!

The Bishop of Paris laid the first stone in 1163 as the start of a vision for a new religious architecture, which came to be called ‘Gothic art.’ Notre Dame de Paris was the largest religious structure in Europe for two centuries. 

The finest stonemasons and artisans of the day contributed to the masterpiece of design and construction. Instead of traditional walls, pillars inside, and innovative gothic flying buttresses outside support arches in the tall, airy interior and the unprecedented number and size of windows. Notre Dame de Paris has two central naves that intersect in the shape of a cross, with the central nave an impossible 12 stories high! Over a thousand square yards of stained-glass windows are masterpieces of delicate medieval craftsmanship and reflect a uniquely light- and joy-inspired celebration of faith. 

© Yannick Boschat

Symbol of Resilience and Rebirth

All of that seemed in jeopardy with a fire broke out in 2019, blazing for hours, and destroying the thousand-year-old cathedral’s wooden roof and collapsing its spire. 

But the French government quickly declared that Notre Dame de Paris (Our Lady of Paris) would rise again, sparking a global campaign for its restoration. That vow was fulfilled in December 2024, when the Archbishop of Paris inaugurated the restored cathedral by symbolically knocking on, and opening the central door for the first time in five long years. 

The Roof and Spire

The collapse of Notre Dame’s spire was the most dramatic and horrifying moment of the 2019 fire. Rebuilding it involved both traditional carpenters and computerized design to reproduce the massive wooden base, which was lifted into place by Europe’s largest crane.  

The vaulted ceiling under the spire also needed rebuilding, requiring modern masons to relearn Gothic techniques. 

The spire and the wooden roof that also perished in the blaze were both lined with lead. A new gilded cock atop the spire has replaced the original that was too damaged to return to use. The replacement contains relics and a parchment with the names of the 2000 people who worked on the renovation.

1000 Ancient Oaks

To faithfully replace the wooden roof, restorers had to source over 1000 oak trees from the forests of France. They had to be perfectly straight and provide logs over 40 feet long, and most of the trees were sawed by hand and shaped by axes, replicating medieval techniques. 

Gargoyles Go High-Tech

Notre Dame’s famous looming gargoyles did not escape damage from blasting by high-pressure fire hoses. Some could be repaired, but others had to be re-made in limestone. That process was facilitated by ultra-modern computer scanning and modeling.  

Light-reflecting Limestone and Brilliant Stained Glass

Most of the damage was to the wooden elements of Notre Dame, but the post-fire restoration included a deep cleaning. 

Fresh fire soot and much older, built-up filth were removed from the cathedral’s limestone structure, returning it to a phenomenal, light-reflecting luminosity and transforming the already-bright and airy feeling inside the cathedral. Where stones needed replacing, experts were able to identify microscopic features, like tiny fossils, to trace them to their original source for replacement. 

The cathedral’s renowned stained glass was thankfully undamaged in the fire. But it, too, was lovingly and painstakingly cleaned, revealing glorious renewed colors that stand out even more against the creamy freshly-cleaned limestone. 

(David Bordes © Rebâtir Notre-Dame de Paris)

Restored and New Sound

The 8000-pipe, 18th-century organ was also thankfully undamaged by the fire or fire-fighting, but restorers also took the opportunity to clean and re-tune the massive instrument. That involved it being completely disassembled and taken to workshops. Old, leather linings were replaced and new electronics added, and upon reassembly in the cathedral, months of tuning were required, with each pipe getting individual attention.

The ‘last bell-maker in France,’ a foundry in Normandy, was asked to clean and restore Notre Dame’s bells, including repairs to two damaged in the heat of the fire. The cathedral’s bell ensemble is now made of 11 bells: the oldest being the only bell not melted into cannonballs during the French Revolution, and the newest the Victory Bell made by the Norman foundry for the Paris 2024 Olympics. It will ring for the first time at Notre Dame during the Christmas, 2024 Mass.

Designs for the Times

The cathedral’s altar and wooden seats all perished in the flames. 1500 new wooden chairs were built, but pieces like the altar were replaced with striking, modern but timeless, almost organically-shaped bronze structures (above and top). 

This being France, restorers also deemed that new liturgical vestments were merited, so the cathedral’s clergy now sport robes by French designer Jean-Charles de Castelbajac. 

And More Work to Come

Notre Dame has re-opened, but scaffolding is still standing and work will continue for years, including the re-imagination of the space outside the cathedral. 

However, Our Lady of Paris has finally re-opened, and even if you visited many times before, her refreshed appearance and restoration will make your next visit feel entirely new. 

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Images courtesy of Atout France, the tourist agency of France. Credits as noted. 

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